Anode



F. T. TAYLOR ANODE Filed Jan. 1'7, 1925 INVENTOR W, QWM WORNEYS 7 45 to the invention.

Patented Aug. 17, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

rLoxn r. TAYLOR, or MATAWAN, new JERSEY, assreuoa TO A. 1. muunme & 00., or nawxonx, n. x., A coaroaarron or NEW messy.

moms.

Application filed January One important object of the invention is to provide an anode wherein the lating metal will be so disposed with regard to the electrolyte as to secure more regular and 5 efiicient disintegration of such metal into the solution and to eliminate the waste which often-times occurs, due to the scaling oil of metallic particles from the" anode, whereby such particles drop out of the path --of the 1 electrolytic current and are substantially unconsumed. a 3 I The invention has particular application to the. production of anodes from metal of high urity in that it enables electrolytically deposited metals to be employed for anode purposes without requiring that such metals be subjected to expensive casting or rolling operations in order to insure that they will be efliciently consumed.

Another aspect of theinvention aims. to enable electrolytic processes to be carried on by an anodewvhich willbe substantially constant as regards its length or extent, notwithstanding. the fact that the metal is being constantly disintegrated during the electrolytic plating operation.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be in part obvious and in part specifically .pointed out in the description hereinafter contained, which, taken in con nection with the accompanying. drawings, discloses a preferred embodimentof the invention; such embodiment, however,-is to be considered merely as illustrative of its princi les. In the drawings ig. 1 is a plan view showing a metal sheet of electrolytically deposited metal,-to illustrate how anodes may be made upfrom such sheet in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of an anode which may be made up ofa sheet as illustrated in Fig. 1'. a

Fig. 3 shows in elevation and in o erative position, another form of anode con orming' In the use of anodes made up of electrolytically deposited metal, it is found that the metal tends to disintegrateirregularly, as a result of which fragments of metal scale ofi. from the'anode and drop out of the ath of current without being consumed. i 1, for example, shows a metal sheet 1, which may be of nickel deposited electrolytically available in an exceedingly pure form. The 5 by any suitable means in an electrolytic .zontal through the solution. As shown in 17, 1925. Serial No. 2,982

into plate form, which will make the metal plate or sheet 1 will exhibit a structure of small crystals or grains disposed substantially perpendicular to the face of the plate or parallel to the direction of flow of the electrolytic current toward such plate. If this platebe suspended in the usual manner in an electrolytic solution to act as an anode,

it will be disintegrated very irregularly as A above stated, with the result that when pure 'metal anodes were desired, it has been con- 5 sidered necessary heretofore to cast or roll the metal into the desired shape for anode purposes, in order toprovide a structure which will disintegrate more evenly when subjected to electrolytic action. These cast- '0 ing and rolling operations, however, materially increase the cost of anodes.

I have discovered that if, when using metal of the above structural characteristics for anode purposes, the metal be so disposed in the bath that its grain or fibres are substantially perpendicular to the path of currenttravel, the abovementi'oned disadvantages to the use ofelectrolytically deposited metal for anode purposes will be substantially avoided, and the metal will disintegrate regularly and uniformly, thus making available in the solution a larger percentage of the total metal content derived from the anode, and making the metal available in pure state without the necessity of casting or rolling.

For example, the plate 1 may be cut up into small pieces 2, and the latter suspended solution in such manner that their side edges 3 are substantially horizontal in such solution as will .besui-table where the path of current travel is to be substantially hori- Fig. 2 the pieces or laminae 2 are strung upon a suitable spine 4, having a head 5 at its bottom to support the stack of pieces, and a hook 6 at-its upper end to permit it to be hung from the anode bar. Fig. 3 illustrates-theinvention as applied to the plating-of a barrel cathode 7 by means of an anode of U-shaped-form hanging from the anode bar 8. As shown the laminae 2 above mentioned" will be strung upon U- 1 5 shaped spine 6 in such manner that they are disposed substantially radially to the barrel 7. Thus the path of current flow will be substantially parallel to the planes of the pieces 2 and substantially perpendicular to the crystals which make up these pieces. In most instances the proper direction of current flow with regard to the anode metal will be obtained by positioning the pieces 2 substantially perpendicular to the length of their supporting member.

It will be observed that in an anode of the above nature the metal crystals or fibres are substantially parallel to the supporting member 4 of the anode which latter is ordinarily suspended from the anode bar and the crystals themselves will be disposed substantially perpendicular to the path of current flow. Thus viewed from the aspect of a method of electroplating by means of anodes having electrolytically deposited plating metal, the present invention conslsts in positioning such fibres or crystals substantially perpendicular to the current path whereby the current will disintegrate the crystals more uniformly instead of causing them to exfoliate or scale off from the anode.

An anode of the above nature also may be adjusted during the electro-plating operation in such a way as to maintain a substantially constant effective length of anode regardless of the amount of active material which has been consumed. That is to say, in the use of an anode as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, the lower laminae tend to disintegrate the most rapidly with the result that after the anode has partially consumed the lower lamina: may'have gone entirely into solution, reducing the effective length of the anode; but in accordance with the present invention further laminae'may be strung upon the supporting s ine from time to time to replace those w ich have been entirely consumed, thus avoiding the irregular deposit of metal at the cathode which otherwise might occur in case the consumption of the anode should shorten its effective length unduly with regard to the size of the article being plated. The supporting spine will be made of some other material, such as lead, which is less corrodible than the active anode material. e I

Though the invention has been described as applied to a nickel anode it should be understood that its principles are equally applicable to other metals as employed for anode purposes.

I claim:

1. An anode of electrolytically deposited metal embodyingmcans whereby crystals making up the active body of the anode willbe disposed substantially perpendicular tothe path of current travel.

2. An anode comprising laminaeof 'electrolytically deposited metal, an active surface of such anode being made up of the edges of such laminae.

An anode comprising laminae of .electi'olyticallydeposited metal and a common support for said laminae adapted to position the same'in one or more planes substantially parallel to the path of current travel.

4. An anode comprising laminae of electrolytically deposited metal and a su porting spine for said laminae disposed su stantially perpendicular to the planes of such laminae.

5.'An anode having its major active surfaces made up of the edges cally deposited metal sheets.

6. A method of electro-plating by an anode of electrolytically deposited metal which comprises positioning such anode in of electrolytian electrolytic solution with the plane ofthe electrolytically deposited sheet substantially parallel to the path of current travel, and subjecting such anode to electrolytic action while in such position.

7. The method of electroplating by an anode of electrolytically deposited sheet metal which consists in positioning such anode in an electrolytic solution with its crystals substantially perpendicular to the path of current travel and subjecting such anode to electrolytic action while in such position.

" 8. The method of making anodes which comprises cutting laminae from sheets of electrolytically deposited metal and assembling such laminae into anode form with their edges exposed.

9. An anode comprising laminae cut from a sheet of electrolytically deposited metal and assembled into anode ,form with their edges exposed.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing, I have hereunto set my hand this 12th day of January, 1925.

FLOYD TAYLOR. 

